The prospective Dutch Minister of Education, Eppo Bruins, has declared that curbing the influx of international students into the Netherlands will be a top priority under his administration. At a meeting in the lower chamber of the Dutch Parliament on Thursday, Bruins—who is expected to replace departing minister Robbert Dijkgraaf—emphasised the burden that an increasing number of overseas students are placing on the country's educational system and budget.
Foreign students enrollment
Over 128,000 foreign students were enrolled in full-degree programmes in the Netherlands for the academic year 2023–2024, making up 16% of the overall student body. With 6,613 more international students, this percentage is slightly more than 14.8 percent from the previous year. According to Erudera reports, this is the slowest yearly rise in a decade.
Bruins said that he will adhere to Dijkgraaf's Internationalisation in Balance Act, which aims to better control the intake of foreign students. More stringent language requirements are proposed for courses taught in languages other than Dutch in this legislation, which is presently awaiting parliamentary approval. Dijkgraaf had pushed for the law, arguing that it is essential to keep Dutch as the principal language of teaching in higher education if we want to successfully integrate overseas graduates into the workforce and Dutch society, as reported by erudera.
"Dutch research and education are important. I would want to assure you of that. Being able to communicate well in Dutch is also essential for getting employment and participating in society,” as Dijkgraaf has said.
As NL Times reported, additionally, Bruins aims to implement a "more flexible regime" for sectors facing a labour shortage, to which foreign students might make a substantial contribution. This programme is a component of a larger series of actions intended to take a strategic approach to internationalisation, making sure that the advantages of drawing in talent from across the world are weighed against the country's educational and economic requirements.
According to data from Nuffic, the growth rate of foreign student enrolment has been dropping. The Dutch organisation for internationalisation in education, with a 5% increase in 2023–2024 compared to a 7% increase the year before. This pattern fits with an overall slowing that has been seen since 2014–2015. Germany, Italy, and Romania were the top three countries of origin for the 167 nations of students studying in the Netherlands last year, out of whom 92,216 were from the European Economic Area (EEA).
